As someone who spends a significant amount of time visiting homes and assessing their indoor environments, I can attest to the importance of maintaining a healthy indoor air quality.
Over the years, I’ve witnessed firsthand how advancements in building techniques and materials have led to more tightly sealed homes, which, while beneficial for energy efficiency and cost savings, can also inadvertently trap stale, polluted air inside.
It’s a delicate balance, really. On one hand, you want your home to be well-insulated and airtight to prevent energy loss and provide optimal heating and cooling performance. But on the other hand, you need to make sure that fresh air can circulate throughout the living spaces, replacing the stale, contaminated air with clean, oxygenated air from the outside.
I’ve seen too many families grappling with the consequences of poor indoor air quality, from respiratory issues to allergies and even more severe health concerns. That’s why I’m passionate about educating homeowners on the importance of proper ventilation and sharing strategies to help them breathe easier, quite literally.
In this article, I’ll be sharing nine practical ways to improve your home’s indoor air quality, drawing from my years of experience and the countless homes I’ve visited.
Whether you’re dealing with persistent odors, mold growth, or simply want to create a healthier living environment, these tips will provide you with the knowledge and tools to take control of the air you and your loved ones breathe every day.
Sources of Indoor Air Pollution
Lack of proper air exchange can cause the air in your home to be up to five times more polluted than outside air. This can cause increased problems in those with asthma or allergies and can result in other serious health risks. Common sources of pollution inside your home include:
- A build up of allergens like dust, pet dander, and pollen
- Excess moisture from bathing and cooking
- Contaminants like smoke and fumes from fireplaces, candles, tobacco, and gas stoves
- Harmful volatile organic compounds (VOC) released by some cleaners, adhesives, paints, and other products
- Radon gas that can be emitted naturally by the ground in certain areas
Having problems with any of these sources? Read our guide for reducing indoor air pollution.
How Whole-House Ventilation Systems Can Help
One of the biggest trends in creating healthy indoor air is whole-house ventilation. In fact, some states even require it, per indoor air quality building codes.
The Fresh Air Systems from Broan offers one of the best solutions I’ve seen for creating and circulating clean air throughout the home. It runs both indoor and outdoor air through a core that filters impurities and adjusts humidity and temperature. So no matter where your air is coming from, it’s constantly being purified, creating a healthier home and family.
There are two types of whole-house ventilation systems. Which one is right for your home depends on the climate where you live:
- Heat Recovery Ventilators: HRV systems remove heat from the inside air before it’s exhausted to the outside, and use it to warm the incoming air. This makes them a good choice for colder climates.
- Energy Recovery Ventilators: ERV systems manage both heat loss and the humidity in the air, making them ideal for warm, humid climates. An ERV system transfers some of the moisture in the humid air stream to the dryer air stream to recover the energy trapped in the moisture.
Spot Ventilation Solutions
Spot ventilation refers to localized exhaust fans, commonly used in kitchens and bathrooms.
Kitchen Ventilation
Install a quality range hood vented to the outside with the recommended CFM (cubic feet per minute) airflow for your stove.
Make sure to choose a range hood that’s both efficient and quiet, such as the EW5830SS Wall Mounted Range Hood from Broan, which has between 200 and 500 CFM centrifugal blower and multispeed control.
Run the fan whenever you cook to remove cooking fumes, smoke, carcinogens, grease and moisture.
You may be thinking, “But my microwave already has a fan. Why do I need a vent hood?” While over-the-range microwaves are convenient, they don’t extend far enough over the stove for proper venting, and they often aren’t vented to the outside.
Bathroom Ventilation
The bathroom is the biggest source of moisture in the home. The best line of defense against moisture in the bathroom is a quality vent fan, such as the NuTone Roomside Series from Broan.
Install it in each bathroom of your home, and use them during and for 15-20 minutes after bathing to remove excess moisture that can cause mold and mildew. (This is an affiliate link. If you purchase this product, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.)
And, like range hoods in the kitchen, it’s important that the bathroom vent exhausts all the way to the outside. If the vent stops in the attic, all that moisture and humidity is trapped in the attic, creating a breeding ground for mold and mildew. Watch How to Properly Vent a Bathroom Exhaust Fan in an Attic for details.
“Acceptable” Air Quality
It’s important to understand what is acceptable indoor air quality. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other organizations have established guidelines and standards for common indoor air pollutants. Some key things to look out for:
- Carbon Monoxide (CO) – This odorless, toxic gas should be kept below nine parts per million over an 8-hour period.
- Particulate Matter (PM) – Levels of PM2.5 and PM10 particles should be kept low, as high levels can exacerbate asthma and cause other respiratory issues.
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – Levels depend on the specific VOC, but concentrations should be minimized from sources like paints, solvents, and fuels.
- Radon – This naturally occurring radioactive gas should be kept below four picocuries per liter.
- Relative Humidity – Indoor humidity levels between 30–50% are ideal to prevent mold growth and other moisture issues.
Using proper ventilation techniques and removing pollutant sources are key to maintaining acceptable indoor air quality per EPA guidelines.
Other Tips for a Healthy Indoor Environment
- Install high-quality air filtration on your central air conditioning or heating system and replace it every one to three months to keep the HVAC system operating efficiently.
- Replace the air filter on your vacuum cleaner with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, which captures much finer particles than standard vacuum cleaner filters. Another option is to install a central vacuum system that exhausts the air outside your home.
- Use only cleaners, paints, adhesives, and building materials that are low in VOCs or contain no VOCs.
- Make sure new cabinets, furniture, and building materials such as plywood, particleboard, and oriented strand board (OSB) used in your home are not made with adhesives that contain formaldehyde.
- Some houseplants have been shown to absorb harmful VOCs from the air. Plants that provided the most benefit include philodendron, peace lily, snake plant, dracaena, and bamboo palm. Check out our article on Best Houseplants to Improve Indoor Air Quality to find out more.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I improve my indoor air quality?
Some key ways to improve indoor air quality include using proper ventilation (spot vents in bathrooms/kitchens and whole-home ventilation), removing pollutant sources like smoke and VOCs, controlling humidity levels, using HEPA filters, and adding air-purifying plants. You can also use a dehumidifier daily as an air cleaner.
What are the symptoms of poor air quality?
Symptoms and health effects of poor indoor air quality can include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, respiratory issues like coughing or wheezing, eye/nose/throat irritation, and worsening of conditions like asthma and allergies.
What causes poor indoor air quality?
Common causes are lack of ventilation, high humidity, smoke, VOCs from household cleaning products, pet dander, dust mites, mold, radon, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants being trapped indoors.
How does outdoor air enter a house?
Outdoor air has easy accessibility and can enter homes by opening windows or doors. Ventilation systems like bathroom/kitchen fans, whole-home ventilators that pull in fresh air, and natural air leaks through cracks and holes in the home’s exterior. Making sure proper mechanical ventilation is key.
Final Thoughts
As someone who has seen firsthand the impact poor indoor air quality can have on a family’s health and wellbeing, I cannot stress enough the importance of taking proactive measures to improve the air you breathe inside your home.
From installing proper ventilation systems to being mindful of the products you use and controlling moisture levels, the steps outlined in this article provide a comprehensive approach to creating a healthier indoor environment.
I understand that tackling indoor air quality may seem like a daunting task, but trust me when I say that the long-term benefits to your family’s comfort and safety make it a worthwhile investment. Start small if you need to, but don’t ignore the signs of poor air quality – persistent odors, condensation on windows, or family members experiencing respiratory issues or headaches.
Remember, the air you breathe impacts every aspect of your life, and taking control of it can have a profound effect on your overall wellbeing. I’ve seen countless families breathe easier, quite literally, after implementing the strategies discussed here. So take that first step today, and experience the difference that clean, fresh air can make in your home.
Further Information
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Protect Indoor Air Quality in Your Home
- U.S. Department of Energy: Ventilation
